Jun 16

Chief Chalmers lobbying Doyle Piwniuk at PC fundraiser at Victoria Inn, for Potash development in Birdtail unceded traditional territory and a new gaming deal for Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation’s new reserve land in Foxwarren

Jun 16

Mr. Doyle Piwniuk, Member of the Manitoba Legislature for Arthur-Virden, recognized Birdtail Sioux First Nation on June 9, 2016 in the Manitoba Legislature for moving forward on initiatives that will create jobs and economic development opportunities for the people of Birdtail Sioux First Nation.

Chief Chalmers has a new business on the horizon in his community. They are converting an old school in Foxwarren into a new business that will not only profit those on the reserve but the surrounding community. The school is located on Highway 16 on 8.8 acres of reserve land. The plan is to convert the–into a gaming centre with bingo, VLTs, a lounge, restaurant, gas bar and office space for businesses.

They have partnered up with the municipality, surrounding churches, chamber of commerce and fire departments. This business is going to help fund many social projects on their reserves such as housing, church services, breakfast and lunch programs, school expansions. They plan to open their project by the end of 2016 with the plans to add a hotel in the future. This will provide jobs for the people on the reserve as well as the people in the surrounding community.

Chief Tacan also has a new project on the go: A Petro-Can is being built on Dakota Nation’s land along the Highway No. 1. The construction started in March and has been going very well, hoping to be completed by August, late August. There has been a gas bar as well as a convenience store. This business will provide jobs for 10 people from their community.

Madam Speaker, I have Chief Chalmers in the gallery today. It is the vision of these two great chiefs that are seeing the positive change. Not only does this benefit First Nations people but in the–great for everyone since this opens up doors for the jobs and economic growth.

In the spirits of the recent truth and recon­ciliation act, it is ideas like this that brings people and communities together in harmony. I applaud these chiefs on their contribution to our constituency, province and economy.

May 16

“I think we’re ready now … This is the only chance we have, we can never do this again.” — Birdtail Sioux First Nation Chief Ken Chalmers

Later this year, members of Birdtail Sioux First Nation will have a second opportunity to vote on a railway development in the community that has the potential to open up huge economic opportunities for the band. That is, provided the band decides to act on it.

After spending several months in negotiations with the Canadian National Railway and the federal government, Birdtail’s chief and council asked the community to vote in a 2013 referendum on a plan to create a hub of economic development on the reserve.

The plan called for a two-kilometre stretch of track running along parcelled sections of reserve land — about 1,884 acres in total — that would be leased out to various corporate partners. At the time of the vote, several corporations had already lined up to get in on the potential economic benefits. Plans were underway to develop an oil terminal at the site to take advantage of what was, at the time, a growing Canadian energy sector.

Under the federal Indian Act, First Nations are unable to develop this kind of business park unless the land has been designated for the purpose of leasing. Due to the cumbersome nature of the act, achieving that kind of designation would often take several months or even years.

Prior to legislation introduced by the previous Conservative federal government, in order to designate any reserve land for commercial lease, a band had to obtain a majority vote from a majority of voting members — essentially a majority of a majority — for the federal government to approve the designation. If a majority of voters didn’t show up to vote, the band would have to hold another expensive referendum.

Thanks to the Tory changes, a First Nation can now green-light the lease of designated reserve lands upon the favourable vote of a simple majority of referendum participants, regardless of the number of people eligible to vote. It was this legislation that Chalmers was trying to capitalize on.

But that ambitious idea hit a wall of protest initiated by Idle No More co-founder Nina Wilson, who went to the reserve to drum up support for a “no” vote. And her efforts were successful. Out of more than 500 eligible voters, Chalmers says 121 residents voted against the plan, and only 62 voted in favour.

Idle No More organizers tied themselves to Canada’s environmental movement and opposed federal Conservative legislation that relaxed environmental regulations in favour of corporate interests. That movement essentially turned community opinion against aligning Birdtail with oil interests.

Only days later, Chalmers was defeated by former chief Kelly Bunn in a band election. As a result, the federal government was unable — or perhaps unwilling — to revisit the railway idea in the two years that followed until Chalmers was voted back in as chief last year.

Though the plan is now back on the table, there have been some changes. First, instead of bringing on potential businesses — such as those in the oil industry — before the community has its say, Chalmers says he merely wants the community to vote on whether to designate the land for leasing. Then the community will decide who they want to bring on board.

“We first designate it and with the community we’ll pick the companies that come and lease off us,” he told the Sun.

Secondly, Chalmers intends to make sure that band members — both on and off reserve — are fully aware of the plan and the upcoming vote in July, using every means at his disposal, including social media.

But this is the last chance for Birdtail members to get behind it, as there is a limited window of time for the residents to ratify the plan. We hope residents will see the value in voting in favour of the rail spur and the land leasing plan. If it goes forward, it will immediately open the reserve for business.

And that’s not only good for Birdtail, with new investment and future employment opportunities. That’s good for all the neighbouring municipalities, too.

Birdtail’s chief and council first applied to acquire the eight-and-a-half acre plot of land off Highway 16 in 2005 and the land transfer was officially approved by the federal government on April 22.

On Thursday, community members from Birdtail and Foxwarren gathered under a big blue and white tent for the hour-long ceremony, which included a smudge, a drum song and a blessing by Sioux Valley First Nation elder Harold Blacksmith.

Dignitaries at the event included several chiefs from nearby Dakota First Nations, representatives from the Manitoba branch of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and ArthurVirden Progressive Conservative MLA Doyle Piwniuk.”

Prairie View Municipality Coun. Roger Wilson was on hand to congratulate Birdtail and welcome new economic development into the RM.

“We’ve had population decline in the last 30-ish years in Manitoba … we need to reinvent how we do business in this part of the world and we think will be a fantastic opportunity to open those doors,” Wilson said, adding that the municipality has been on board with the plan since it was first proposed 10 years ago. “It’s frustrating (and) it baffles me how it can take this long.”

In Canada, any First Nation interested in accumulating more land must conduct stakeholder negotiations with nearby communities and all levels of government, complete an environmental assessment and outline the legal description of the land before its application can be approved by Indigenous and Northern Affairs.

Birdtail is one of five Manitoba First Nations that have not signed a treaty with the federal government and Chalmers believes that status played a role in the length of the ATR process.

“That did have an effect because we’re in Treaty 4 country (which covers Southern Saskatchewan and part of western Manitoba) and this is their territory, but we know this is our territory,” he said. “It took the Department of Justice three years to work out the details with the treaty bands.”

Chalmers also attributes the ATR’s approval to a recent faceto-face meeting with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett in Toronto.

“I put a lot of passion into it,” he said. “It sat for two years on the minister’s desk in the Harper government and it should have been signed off three years ago.”

Birdtail has already started renovating the interior of the Foxwarren school and Chalmers hopes the proposed bingo hall, VLT centre, restaurant and gas bar will be open for business later this year.

“We’re pushing it for November … we’ve got to work at the speed of business,” Chalmers said.

Birdtail is putting $1.25 million of its earnings from other business ventures toward the renovations and the project will also be supported by private investors and federal funding, according to Chalmers.

Once built, Chalmers says the gaming and hospitality complex will create jobs for Birdtail’s young people and provide a source of revenue for housing, social programs and education — the chief estimates the development will bring in $200,000 per month for the First Nation.